Detroit -- As last season finished, Rockies manager Walt Weiss told outfielder Charlie Blackmon His wanted him to prepare to become leadoff hitter.

It turns out that with Blackmon setting up a slight modification to the approach, Weiss has found a good location for Blackmon's skills, and Blackmon has found your home.

Going into Tuesday night's sport against the Giants, which Blackmon didn't start against tough left-hander Madison Bumgarner, Blackmon led the National League with a .Information batting average and at One particular.121 was third in the Majors throughout OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) driving teammate Troy Tulowitzki (1.131) and the Braves' Freddie Freeman (One particular.125).

'It's something that maybe away from the gate I'm not completely at ease with, but on the other hand, it's among the more important positions in the array,' Blackmon said. 'We've got a large amount of really good hitters in the selection in the middle of the order, so it's necessary for that guy to be on starting.

'That's a thing I've embraced. We've kind of taken it as an individual challenge, to be on base, to function counts, to get some hits, create some traffic for anyone big swingers behind me.'

Blackmon has done more than reach base. His or she hit two home goes in Monday night's 8-2 glory over the Giants to raise his total to four. The sole player with more from the Virtually no. 1 position going into Wednesday was the Brewers' Carlos Gomez, with all 5. His .442 leadoff on-base percentage is the best of anyone with at least 75 leadoff at-bats, and his 15 runs tend to be tied for third-most.

Before this season, Blackmon experienced a .291 batting average but the un-leadoff-like .321 on-base percentage in parts of a few seasons (in and around foot accidents and Triple-A stints).

Still, after the Rockies moved erstwhile leadoff batter Dexter Fowler (receiving outfielder Brandon Barnes and pitcher Michael jordan Lyles from the Astros), Weiss quietly believed Blackmon is acceptable at No. 1. Besides his hitting, Weiss saw pace that had been obscured by foot injuries in 2011 and '12.

'I don't believe His had to modify a whole lot -- the skill set was there,' Weiss said.

Blackmon said the biggest modification has been patience. Blackmon is viewing 3.86 pitches for every plate appearance overall, Three.79 as a leadoff man. Your leadoff P/PA is 59th among leadoff men inside the Majors (some with limited plate appearances). Still, this year's figures are higher than his Several.63 P/PA from last period. It's early, but if the increases hold over a any period of time, they would be considered healthy, whether or not he's doesn't rank high amid leadoff men.

His approach is to see pitches, but His does not want to lose aggressiveness.

The balance was at function Monday night. His initial home run came after they worked a 2-1 count towards Ryan Vogelsong, and his second arrived on Juan Gutierrez's 0-1 pitch.

'I honestly feel [being a leadoff man] fits pretty well,Inches Blackmon said. 'I like to have at-bats where I see a lot of pitches. I like to feel safe deeper in the count. But I like to not necessarily have to do that when I don't want to. I like the luxury of being able to swing early in the actual count, which sometimes Personally i think like you can't do inside leadoff spot.'

Detroit -- Mark Trumbo knows his work. He is expected to hit having power and drive inside runs. And he does it well.

As inconsistent as the opening online games of the 2014 season have been for your Arizona Diamondbacks, Trumbo has delivered exactly what the D-backs envisioned when they acquired them in the three-team offseason deal that noticed Arizona send center fielder Adam Eaton towards the White Sox and left-hander Tyler Skaggs to the Angels.

'He is a very formidable bat and a intelligent hitter,' D-backs manager Kirk Gibson claimed on Sunday after State of arizona knocked off the Colorado Rockies, 5-3, from Coors Field.

It was just D-backs' second acquire in nine games, matching the inaugural season regarding 1998 for the worst start in franchise history. And Trumbo shipped a two-run home run, the 100th regarding his career.

'It's something I'm known for,' he said regarding hitting home runs, 'and One hundred is a nice round number.'

Five of people home runs and 12 of Trumbo's 297 big league RBIs came in six career video games at Coors Field, which should not be surprising.

'My job,' he stated, 'is to hit the ball rising. A stadium like this performs really well for that.'

Trumbo has done his job so far in Az. He is leading the Major Leagues with five home extends and 13 RBIs. Trumbo has homered in each of his last 4 games, equaling a streak this individual put together with the Halos via May 27-30, 2012.

'I've had scorching stretches in the past where the house runs come in bunches,' Trumbo said. 'I can't tell you when they're coming or why these people happen, but they do come about.'

And the home run on Sunday happened to come at an opportune time.

It came in a win. It got after the D-backs had taken a 3-0 lead. It sent a message with a Rockies team that had rallied from a four-run debt for a 9-4 victory on Wednesday night that Trumbo and his teammates were not backing down.

'When you get broken out, it doesn't feel great,' said Trumbo. 'You enjoy these video games more.'

And while Trumbo grew up within Villa Park, Calif., just a couple of kilometers down the road from the Angels' home with Anaheim, what he is really enjoying is being with Arizona. Even the fact he is being expected to become a full-time outfielder hasn't been a diversion from unwanted feelings.

Primarily a first baseman/DH in his four years using the Halos, Trumbo arrived in Arizona obtaining started 122 games in the outfield while using Angels, but he also had been taken out in the late innings in Fifty seven of them.

The D-backs weren't concerned.

They had been confident that, given Trumbo's pride as well as work ethic, he'd turned into a solid outfielder. More importantly, they wanted to add his power bat for the lineup to help offset the target that opposing teams put on Paul Goldschmidt.

So far, so good.

'He incorporates a good attitude,' stated Gibson. 'He wants to learn. He has performed a decent job for us in the outfield. He is a headsy player.'

And Trumbo is actually realistic.

'I've got a lot to learn, but it's coming along,Inch he said. 'I pride myself in this little defense.'

Trumbo, however, makes his living swinging the softball bat. He hit 95 property runs in three complete seasons with the Angels, driving throughout 282 runs from 2011-13. Trumbo has attack home runs at home (50 in 235 games) and on the highway (53 in 234 games). They have hit them off right-handers (one particular every 18.7 at-bats) along with off left-handers (one every 20.5 at-bats).

That is what caught the eye of the D-backs. And Trumbo understands that.

'I never care if some people don't feel [driving in runs] is important, on the other hand feel there's something to be explained for getting a guy home in a very pressure situation and the glass pitcher is bearing down on anyone, trying to get you out,' he stated. 'I'll take the RBI.'

Not that Trumbo is satisfied regarding his offensive game. The 471 strikeouts within 469 big league games -- 184 of them last year -- aren't acceptable.

'It's lots of,' he said. 'I know that. I must be a better all-around hitter. I have to be more patient. There's time to shorten up [the swing] a little along with two strikes, but not too much. I know what my career is.'

Nobody can question of which. The results speak for themselves.